Elizabethtown Community Invited to Community-Wide Conversation to Promote Healthy Behaviors Among Elizabethtown Youth

Elizabethtown Area Communities That Care, a community-based, private, non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of Elizabethtown’s youth and families, invites all Elizabethtown area residents to a Community Conversation to promote healthy behaviors among Elizabethtown youth, especially with regard to drug and alcohol use.

This Community Conversation, which is free and open to the public, will take place on:

EACTC’s Executive Director, Gail Viscome, explains, “We’re using a nationally-recognized model called Positive Community Norms. Research has shown that when you focus on and draw attention to healthy choices youth are already making, you can increase the number of youth making such choices. This kind of positive approach has been proven to be far more effective than scare tactics.”

Deb Dupler, EACTC Board member and Elizabethtown Rotary member says, “The November 4th event is just the first step in a longer-range collaborative effort here in Etown. We’re very fortunate to have area business people, civic groups, pastors, parents, representatives from the school district and the college, and social service professionals who have all committed to partner with EACTC in this important initiative.”

Local realtor Greg Grogan adds, “We’re calling it the ‘Fact vs Fiction’ campaign, because it’s about getting the facts about the choices our kids are making about drugs and alcohol, addressing misperceptions, and promoting healthy decisions as the norm in this community.”

This project is funded, in part, by a grant from the PLCB as well as a generous donation from Covanta Energy.

Viscome concludes, “We know we can increase healthy behaviors among our youth in Etown. But we’ll need help from the community. So we hope people will attend this important first event and begin the conversation with us.”